Conventions of Horror: The Conjuring

What Is a Short Film?

Short films are basically films that are short, I mean it's literally in the name right? If that is in anyway confusing to anyone then I can always explain it further just for satisfaction. So a short film is a brief film of between 5 to 30 minutes which deals with a particular theme e.g. drama, horror, comedy etc. Dduring the early days in the Hollywood studios a short film was a cartoon which ran between 6-7 minutes.

Charlie Chaplin made short comedy films very popular when he started to produce silent comedy films involving over the top facial expressions and body language. Short films were usually made to reveal a message to the audience.

Film-making Stages

Pre-production: This is a fairly loose term which refers to the tasks undertaken before production begins. Exactly what is included in this stage depends on the situation.

For a small video company, pre-production may refer to everything that happens before shooting begins, for example, meeting with the client, research, storyboarding, location planning, etc.

For feature films, pre-production is more specific and only begins when other milestones have been met such as financing, screenplay, casting and major staffing.

Production: This refers to the part of the process in which footage is recorded. This is what most people imagine when they think of a film being made — actors on sets, cameras rolling, etc.

In large feature films the beginning of the production phase cannot be repeated or returned to. At this point it is almost always cheaper to continue until the project is finished than to deal with the financial fall-out of cancelling.

Post-production: This is the third and final major phase of the production process. There are many things that can happen in post-production. Common tasks include:

•   Editing video footage

•   Editing the soundtrack, adding sound effects, music, etc.

•   Adding titles and graphics

•   Colour and exposure correction

•   Adding special effects

•   Re-shooting certain scenes if required ("pick-up" shots)

In some cases post-production is relatively straightforward, consisting of choosing and arranging footage in the correct sequence.

History of Short Films